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Food & Drink

Be the next Caplansky!

Don’t tell anyone, but the new Caplansky’s at College and Brunswick is finally set to open Saturday at 10 am. Expect a mob.

Over at the Monarch Tavern (12 Clinton, at Henderson, 416-531-5833) where Zane Caplansky got his start just over a year ago, things have been much quieter since the prince of pastrami closed up shop at the venerable Little Italy watering-hole late last month. But not for long. If you fancy yourself the rest industry’s next big thing, the Monarch’s kitchen is up for rent.

“I think another deli would work fine,” says Louie Cristello when asked what he’s looking for in a tenant. “I mean, Caplansky seemed to do OK. Or maybe piri-piri chicken, anything kinda specialized, you know?”

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The sign out front mentions an “equipped kitchen.” How equipped?

“It’s small but there’s other areas that can be used like a huge walk-in cooler in the basement,” says Cristello.

Any bites?

“I’ve had some interest but nothing serious so far.”

We asked the extremely busy Caplansky if he had any advice for first-time restaurateurs.

“Do it,” says the smoked meat maven. “The Monarch is a Toronto institution and was a great place for us to start.

“I’m not sure what terms the owners are asking now but I probably had the best deal in town: nominal rent, no utilities. At the same time, along with the price comes some baggage. The management likes to use air-fresheners that are more offensive than any food smell they were meant to cover. And some of the Monarch barflies could be bellicose at best and at worst, well, after a few too many, one fellow kissed the child of one of my customers.”

That rules out Chuck E. Cheese and the Rainforest Café, then.

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